


A Lover's Favor

by TailorNorata



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Brief mention of slavery, F/F, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Lieutenant Scott, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Navy Soldier Stiles, Pirate Peter Hale, Pirates, The Royal Navy, but not really, i guess, idk if I can actually write them any other way anymore tbh, kind of, more or less period accurate level of secrecy around being homosexual, with some nuance?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22689880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TailorNorata/pseuds/TailorNorata
Summary: When Stiles is on leave from serving in the royal navy he meets the confident and charming "merchant" Captain Peter Hale.
Relationships: Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent/Lydia Martin, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 26
Kudos: 251
Collections: Steter Valentine's Exchange 2020





	A Lover's Favor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpookyMiscreant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMiscreant/gifts).



> Happy Valentine!  
> Fun fact: This is not the story I originally wrote for this event. I have 10K of a story about fae royalty, which got longer and longer until I realized I'd never be able to finish it.
> 
> Luckily this baby here came to me and I enjoyed writing it a lot, but I don't know if this is what you wanted.  
> Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading it!

******_When Stiles entered the church and saw all the decorations and the people sitting there, he felt like he was staring at his place of execution._ **

**_Everything looked beautiful, just like Lydia had wanted it, and Stiles had always aimed to give Lydia everything she wanted, so that was good._ **

**_But it didn’t change the fact every step closer to the front made him feel like he was approaching the guillotine._ **

  
  


~Five weeks ago~

It had been so good to see her again, after all this time away.

He had felt so much older, so jaded and disillusioned, seeing Lydia standing at the side of the road, next to Allison, had made him feel like he was actually coming home.

Scott who rode next to him had grinned. “Looks like our girls are giving us a warm welcome. I knew Allison would come around.”

Stiles looked at Allison’s arm around Lydia’s waist and felt like Scott might still not really see anything he didn’t want to see.

He still wasn’t sure what to do with everything that had happened with Theo Raeken though and he didn’t feel like clueing Scott in.

It wasn’t his place anyway.

“Don’t be too sure” had been all Stiles had decided to say at that point.

For the moment Scott and their problems were forgotten, as they dismounted and hugged the women waiting with a few others for the returning soldiers.

~

Stiles had also loved to see his father again, and their family’s pub and all their regular patrons. Except for two older men who apparently had died while Stiles had been serving in the navy the last few years.

That was a bit sad but to be expected he supposed.

When Scott had come into the pub that evening it turned out Stiles had been right, Allison had not changed her mind about not wanting to be with Scott.

Which meant his friend was now sulking and trying to come up with a plan to get her back.

Stiles could have told Scott that his efforts were pointless, Allison had always loved Lydia and from Lydia he knew that two years ago they had finally found the courage to talk about it with each other.

They were a happy couple. Or at least as happy as one could be when one lived in sin and knew one couldn’t change who one loved, even if it meant an eternity of damnation.

“What about you?” Scott had asked. “Did Lydia welcome you more warmly at least? She always liked to play with your heart.”

Stiles hadn’t intended to mention it before Scott had asked, but he’d find out soon enough anyway. “She agreed to marry me.”

When Stiles had left he’d already known Lydia loved Allison and he’d felt pretty certain Allison loved Lydia as well. At the same time he’d felt like he might never love anybody in the way married couples were supposed to love each other.

So his idea to marry her, his best friend, had included those facts. She’d be taken care of and he’d not stand between her and Allison. Just as Lydia wouldn’t stand in the way of his interest in men. it was the best thing he could hope for.

“Congratulations brother!” Scott had said and grinned at him. “I would have liked to be a groom, but I’ll settle for being the best man for now.”

Stiles had not pointed out that he hadn’t asked Scott to be his best man.

The same way he hadn’t mentioned he’d asked their commander to transfer him to another ship.

“Do you want me to come with you to pick the flower?”

Stiles shook his head. “You know I need to do that alone. And you’ve always hated climbing anyway.”

  
  


**_Scott was wearing his uniform, declaring him a Lieutenant of the Royal Navy._ **

**_He had been talking with his mother, but now he stood up and smiled at Stiles, as if everything was alright._ **

**_Stiles didn’t have it in him to smile back._ **

  
  


~Two months ago~

A strong hand gripped around his arm. “Let me come with you Stiles!”

Stiles hadn’t believed he’d actually heard those words. “I can’t trust you to have my back right now.”

Scott had brushed it off. “You need my help.”

Stiles would find a way, he was good at adapting. He couldn’t have Scott next to him right now, not after everything. “You believed him Scott!”

Scott brushed that off as well “He fooled you too Stiles, he fooled everybody.”

He hadn’t, Theo hadn’t fooled Stiles.

But until the very end, until Theo had almost managed to pull his plan off, Scott hadn’t listened to Stiles.

It had almost cost them their lives, they’d barely escaped the trap.

It had taken Scott until the moment Theo had been revealed to be a spy for the enemies to understand what was going on.

And he still hadn’t asked Stiles for his side of things. “You still don’t know the full story.”

How Donovan had almost killed Stiles when Stiles had found him sabotaging their ship.

How Theo had outright told Stiles his plan to kill Scott.

How Theo had tried to recruit Stiles.

All because he knew Scott would believe Theo over Stiles.

Scott stayed adamant. “I don’t need to. The important thing right now is to save the rest of our crew. Let me help.”

And Stiles had made the decision, not for Scott, but because saving everybody was more important than this.

It had taken Scott even longer to actually ask Stiles for his side of the story.

And with that Scott had decided their friendship was mended, all good.

But Stiles had realized there was a rift.

And it hadn’t just started to grow when Theo had joined their crew.

He hoped serving on different ships would help him get over the pain it was causing.

Even if Stiles had started to dislike many of the things he had to do or accept as a navy soldier.

  
  
  


**_Both of them assumed their places as groom and best man._ **

**_The organ started to play shortly after and everybody faced the entrance, as the priest entered the room, followed by Lydia, wearing a beautiful, light green dress, which was Allison’s favorite color, her hair braided artfully._ **

**_Behind Lydia came Allison, wearing a matching dress to Lydia’s in pale pink, Lydia’s favorite color, and her hair braided to match Lydia’s as well._ **

**_It was their secret little way to signify that this was as much a marriage for the two women, if not more, as it was for Lydia and Stiles._ **

  
  


~One day ago~

The two women were standing next to each other in their dresses, showing them to Stiles and he could only smile at how beautiful they were, despite the fact his heart was aching worse than it ever had in his life.

“I wish we lived in a world where you two could get married and I was your best man…”

They’d hugged him and he’d done his best not to cry.

At least he was going to spend his life with his best friends, if not with the man he loved.

They would share a house and seem like a married couple giving their spinster friend a place to live. And who actually did and didn’t sleep alone was nobody’s business but their own.

  
  


**_Allison caught his gaze for a moment and smiled nervously._ **

**_He smiled back to her, if he still felt good about something regarding this wedding it was his part in assuring his friends’ happiness._ **

**_His eyes wandered over the rows of guests, the back rows first, feeling somewhere between hope and dread to find the face he was looking for, but Peter wasn’t there._ **

**_Then in the front of course there were his and Lydia’s more immediate family. Which for him pretty much only meant his dad, the cousin of his mother, the cousin’s husband and two daughters._ **

  
  


~Three weeks ago~

Stiles had told his father everything.

He had missed him so much, his warmth, his wisdom.

Life hadn’t always been easy, not during his mother’s illness and definitely not after her death, but they’d taken care of each other best they could.

He’d feared his father might reject him when he heard, but during his time on sea Stiles had decided that he couldn’t live his life lying to his father about something like that.

And his father had surprised him by taking him into a firm hug. “It’s okay son.”

There hadn’t been the need for anything more. Stiles knew his father still loved him and still considered him his son and something heavy fell away from Stiles’ soul.

His father had followed it up though by saying that he wasn’t entirely happy with the fact that Stiles was keeping the company of pirates.

Stiles had reminded his father that Peter and his crew weren’t technically confirmed to be pirates.

Even if they definitely were just that.

  
  


**_He heard a seagull scream outside, as it flew over the church, and his eyes briefly went to one of the open windows from which the ocean was visible._ **

**_In the bright summer sun the white sails of a ship leaving their coast could be seen clearly, even high up where the church stood._ **

**_Stiles couldn’t have been sure, but in his imagination it was Peter’s._ **

  
  


~Four weeks ago~

He’d been bargaining with a fisher, when the ship had arrived.

It’d been flying a spanish flag, but from everything Stiles could see he suspected they probably hoisted a pirate flag when they were on sea.

When he saw the crew he recognized the looks on their faces.

They’d not voluntarily ended up at this port, they’d stopped here because they needed supplies, because otherwise they might have starved over the next week or so.

It wasn’t very obvious if one wasn’t aware of what to look for, but Stiles had seen it before, had experienced it.

A crew of hungry pirates who’d probably driven each other crazy for at least the last week.

Stiles decided to wrap up his business and head home to his father, before he encountered any of them directly.

Their town did not have a naval outpost of any kind and he and Scott were two of maybe a dozen navy soldiers currently at home on leave, so there wasn’t really anything to do about this, other than keeping an eye out for any trouble those people might cause.

  
  
  


**_Lydia’s father offered her hand to Stiles and he took it, looking at their joined hands and at the almost healed cut on his hand. It felt like it had been a lot longer than a few weeks since he had met Peter for the first time._ **

  
  


~Three and a half weeks ago~

Stiles had been helping out in his father’s pub, feeling good about having something to do, instead of just thinking about how to handle his situation with Scott.

Sometimes he thought he might have it in him to simply forgive Scott and move past it, just accept that people changed, that Scott’s higher rank - and likely further rising rank - would mean that his friend was changing further as well.

Of course Scott’s perspective had to shift with that, right?

Other times Stiles just felt like there were certain things that were impossible to overcome. More than once Scott’s inability to make a decision had forced Stiles or other people to do the dirty work. And often enough afterwards Scott had claimed the moral high ground.

Which certainly had helped him become Lieutenant.

‘Character’ seemed to be valued over usefulness.

And maybe that was fair.

Maybe that just meant Stiles was better suited to being a foot soldier.

But it also meant that Scott had little sympathy for Stiles’ annoyance with the systemic issues of their society.

In private Scott had sometimes admitted there were things going on he didn’t like, but in practice he decided to ignore them because he benefited from things how they were.

Stiles served their customers, quickly getting back into the old routine, the comfortable conversations with familiar faces.

At some point he heard a commotion at the back of the pub, where Stiles knew half a dozen of the people he was still pretty sure were pirates had sat down.

As it got louder and started to sound like it might turn into an actual brawl he gave his father a nod and then headed into that corner to see what was going on and how to resolve it.

As it turned out the troublemaker was actually Scott.

He was drunk and arguing with a lanky young man with intense eyes and a head of blonde curls. From what Stiles could gather the curly haired young man had chatted with Allison at the fish market.

Scott had seen them and now wanted to make it clear that she was spoken for.

Stiles decided to step in before anything more could happen, warily keeping and eye on the weapons the strangers were carrying.

He literally stepped between the two young men and made a point to stay calm. “Hey, gentlemen. I’d ask both of you to stop this right now.” He leveled a pointed look at Scott. “Seriously Scott, quit it. Do you really want me to have to throw you out?”

Scott still looked very agitated. “I love her! I’m not going to let that dog sniff around her without consequences!”

Stiles placed one hand on Scott’s chest and half turned to address the young pirate and his friends. “He’s just heartbroken, please excuse him.”

Then he turned back to Scott and hissed in frustrated tone. “Go fucking home Scott, this is not going to end well otherwise.”

Scott narrowed his eyes at Stiles and then looked behind him at the strangers, pointing at them. “Keep your dirty hands off Allison, you reprobates!”

Stiles reacted without even really thinking about it.

With the back of his hand he dodged the blade that had been thrown at Scott’s shoulder.

Scott made a move like he wanted to pull his gun, but Stiles grabbed Scott’s wrist with his bleeding hand.

“Go. Home. Scott.”

Scott moved closer, so Stiles could very clearly smell the alcohol on his breath. “I’m your superior.”

Stiles didn’t let go. “I have the householder’s right and you are drunk, Lieutenant.”

There was a moment of silent tension and then Scott lifted his hands in a show of compliance.

As Scott turned around, after a hateful glance at the pirates, and left the pub Stiles took a deep breath.

He picked up the knife and turned around to the table of strangers. “Again, my apologies for his behavior. I believe this is yours. Might I suggest to not throw it inside my family’s pub?”

A man, at least in his 30s, but still incredibly beautiful looking, leaned forward. “My apologies for my daughter’s behavior. She was raised by coyotes until she was twelve.”

Stiles smiled, but felt uncertain if that was supposed to be a joke.

The man continued, his voice smooth and charming. “Would you like some help with your hand?”

As attractive as this man was Stiles hadn’t forgotten what they were, and he shook his head. “Thank you, but I can handle it. Enjoy your drinks.”

And with that he turned around and headed upstairs to take care of his wound.

Afterwards he’d just entered the pub for a moment to inform his father that he needed to get some fresh air.

  
  
  


**_Lydia gave him a soft smile and he did his best to smile back. He wished he could go and get some fresh air right now._ **

  
  
  


~Three and a half weeks ago~

Muscle memory easily had carried him to the place he’d already sought out as a child whenever he needed time to clear his mind.

The cliffs were still close to the town, close enough for him to see people walking whenever they were passing a light source, close enough to hear the sounds the ships made while they swayed in a soft summer night breeze.

They weren’t as high or dangerous as some of the other cliffs along their strip of coast. They also weren’t interesting or challenging enough for the kids who enjoyed climbing cliffs.

So it had become his place of solitude.

Only now he realized someone else was climbing up.

He really hoped it wasn’t Scott, because while these cliffs weren’t that dangerous to climb, it was still night and Scott had been quite drunk.

As the man reached the top Stiles realized it wasn’t Scott, it was the good looking pirate who’d apologized for his daughter’s knife throwing earlier.

“Did you follow me here?” Stiles asked incredulously.

The man stood there for a moment, looking down at the town while catching his breath and then smirked at Stiles.

“I feel like the answer to that question should be obvious?”

True, how else would the man have ended up here?

“Okay then...why did you follow me?”

The pirate gave Stiles a charming smile, which showed his surprisingly healthy looking teeth reflect the light of the almost full moon.

“I wanted to make sure that drunkard didn’t take his hurt out on you, after you intervened so heroically.”

Stiles snorted at that. “Liar.”

The man sat down next to Stiles. “Alright. I’ve only talked to my crew and seen their ugly mugs for the last few weeks. You seemed nice, but not afraid and you reacted to that knife without even thinking about it, which was impressive. I was intrigued.”

“Intrigued?” Stiles echoes, not sure what else to say.

“Yes” the man said with another smile. “Intrigued. I thought you might be an entertaining person to get to know.”

Stiles raised a brow at him. “Just in case the conversation earlier didn’t clue you in, I’m in the navy. Not sure it’s wise for someone like you to find me intriguing.”

The chuckle that came from the man was lovely and Stiles instantly enjoyed hearing it, probably more than he should. “Some of the best men I know used to be in the navy. People join and leave the navy for all sorts of reasons.”

Then his smile turned sly. “But of course, since we are mere merchants, I definitely don’t know why there should be any problem in you and I becoming friends.”

Stiles could clearly hear the heavy sarcasm in those words and couldn’t hide a grin of his own. “Sure, merchants traveling on a sloop. I suppose it could be true. And I’m sure your daughter is actually a well behaved lady, not the trigger happy offspring of a plundering layabout.”

The man chuckled again. “She could have been. If her mother hadn’t left her out in the wilderness as a young child. I almost killed that wretched, cold hearted bitch when she told me. But Malia didn’t die out in the wild. She’d been taken in by a coyote and raised with her other cubs. So it is to be expected that she has some trouble with human interaction. I can’t put all the blame on her mother’s neglect though. Considering my son Jackson has no such excuse and still can be an incredible dickhead.”

Stiles had thought the comment earlier about his daughter had been a joke, but apparently not. “That’s fascinating. Does your crew have more stories like her’s?”

The man’s smile turned more dangerous. “Some, but for most the story is very simple. They wanted the freedom to live life their own way and society wouldn’t give it to them.”

Stiles had nodded at that, his mind had gone to the dark skinned men among the pirates’ crew, and then back to other dark skinned men Stiles had seen treated as cargo, while he’d been in the navy. Where he’d seen nobody who’d protested against it, where he himself had not known how to say anything and make it count.

Was he really going to go back there?

He thought of himself and his own search for a way to live freely. He’d heard among pirates men sometimes married men, it had sounded too good to be true to him, but the guy who’d told them about it had sounded disgusted at the idea.

Even though when you were on board a ship with a lot of other men for long enough you found out that there probably were men who enjoyed the intimacy of other men on every single ship of her majesty’s royal navy.

Majesty...and all nobility really was another thing Stiles had a lot of thoughts on, not very nice ones. 

Who did and didn’t deserve luxuries and respect often felt very arbitrary.

He definitely understood enough reasons that might bring someone to join a crew of freebooters.

“I can respect that” he said in the end.

“Good” said the man “I’m Peter, by the way.”

  
  
  


**_The priest spread his arms and opened the ceremony by welcoming their family and friends._ **

  
  
  


~Three weeks ago~

“No really” Peter said with a grin, while Lydia, Allison and Stiles were all giggling at his story and his first mate Boyd and another woman of the crew, called Erica smiled knowingly, since they knew the story already. “He just took the guy’s head and hit it against the rails, whenever he got too annoying to him. Sometimes I don’t know who raised that darn boy...”

Lydia had a hand held in front of her mouth while she kept giggling, before she said “Well it rather sounds like he was raised by his ‘merchant’ uncle and ‘merchant’ bigger sister.”

Boyd snorted and Peter grinned at her. “You are welcome to join us and teach my nephew some manner Miss Martin.”

Lydia waved at the offer. “I’m sure I’d just be in your way.”

Erica shook her head with a salacious smirk. “We can always use another beautiful, smart woman on our ship.”

Peter nodded and looked at Allison “And Stiles tells me you, Miss Argent, know your way around quite an array of weapons, most of all the bow, which definitely comes in handy.”

Both women giggled again and Stiles hit Peter’s shoulder. “Stop trying to convince my fiance and her best friend to run away with you.”

  
  


**_Stiles and Lydia turned to face the altar._ **

**_Out of the corner of his eyes Stiles saw Scott smiling at him._ **

  
  


~Two and a half weeks ago~

“You have to stop spending time with those people Stiles!” Scott had demanded of him. “I know Hale looks good and apparently people find him charming, but he’s not a good person, he’s dangerous and you are getting married.”

Stiles had glared at Scott. “So what? Lydia seems to have no problem with him. And they’ve not caused any trouble in town. Some of them have been doing repairs for the people in exchange for fresh food, they are hardly acting like the hardened criminals you see in them. The only time that there was trouble was when you got up in Isaac’s face because he talked to Allison.”

Scott’s jaw was set tight, as he was silent for a moment. “Yeah well, does she know? Does Lydia know about your...needs? Because if she did I don’t think she’d be okay with you spending time with that man.”

Stiles couldn’t believe it. “Are you threatening me?”

Scott turned a little pale “No I...I just really don’t think he’s a good influence on you. You’re a navy soldier keeping the company of criminals, Stiles. I’m your superior, I can’t just let that go.”

Stiles didn’t say what he was thinking.

That these criminals to him seemed like better people than a lot of those he’d met in the navy.

Instead he straightened up and raised his chin a little before responding calmly. “Well then feel free to report me once we are back on a ship. But get off my back for now, because here in Beacon Cliffs you and I are just two men. Your rank means jack shit to me in our hometown. And if you still actually saw us as brothers you’d not hold it over me either.”

  
  


**_He looked at the altar in front of them._ **

**_There, next to the cross, in a simple white vase stood the flower that symbolized one's desire, love and devotion for the person one picked it for._ **

**_The supposed symbol of his desire, love and devotion to Lydia._ **

**_It still looked nice, but he could see some dry spots on the leaves._ **

  
  


~Two weeks ago~

The cliffs Stiles was climbing up weren’t the most dangerous to climb in the area, but they were up there.

They were the most climbed cliffs, because only on top of these cliffs grew a flower called Lover’s Favor.

And that was the flower young men picked for the woman they were going to marry.

Stiles knew he had to keep with tradition.

But right now, hanging several feet in the air, feeling the wind pull on his clothes, he was seriously second guessing if they really needed that stupid flower.

It had taken him long enough to even get this far.

He wasn’t an experienced climber, he’d always stuck to his own little spot before this. Only climbing one familiar cliff and no other.

The sun was starting to hang low too and he had to get up and down again before all light was gone.

He made it up another foot or so but then he grabbed a bit of rock that suddenly came loose and he felt his hold on the wall slip away.

He fell, and for a moment he asked himself how stupid he actually was.

Others had injured themselves on these cliffs before.

Why had he though he could do this?

~

When Stiles woke up his body was aching.

He sat up and his head hurt a little and there was some dizziness, but when he touched the back of his head there was no injury there.

He looked himself over and saw some scratches and bruises, but nothing too serious.

He looked around and realized his head had been resting on a very familiar, well-worn frock-coat. It was Peter’s.

He looked around some more and saw the man’s sword and boots lying next to him at the bottom of the cliff as well.

He looked up the cliff and in the golden orange glow of the sunset he saw Peter, expertly climbing down the face of the rock.

When Peter reached the ground and turned to Stiles he could see that the man was holding a Lover’s Favor in his mouth.

He looked like he’d stepped out of a dream, his hair tousled by the wind, his white shirt in slight disarray from the climb, showing his sun kissed chest and his intense, blue eyes showing genuine happiness at seeing Stiles.

He took the flower out of his mouth and smiled “Glad to see you awake, I was worried. You’re lucky you landed relatively softly.”

Then Peter held the flower out to Stiles.

“Here. This way you don’t have to try climbing up there again.”

Stiles felt a little numb at the idea of Peter picking that flower for him. “I...can’t. It’d mean that you...that I’m your...I…”

Something shifted in Peter’s expression and it became more ernest. “I know what it means, Stiles. All the more reason for me to give it to you.”

What?

Stiles didn’t even think before he reached out and accepted the flower, staring at it’s white petals, trying to comprehend what Peter was implying.

“Now, go and give it to your fiance, the sun is almost down and as far as I know you’re supposed to give it to her before the last light of the day is gone.”

What?

Stiles looked up, but Peter’s expression was unreadable.

“Go, Stiles.”

It was a simple enough order and Stiles nodded and made his way back to the pub where he knew Lydia was waiting for him, probably being teased and cheered up by the other patrons, as it was custom.

  
  


**_The priest was reading from the bible “And as it is written in the first book of Peter, chapter 4, verse 8: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”_ **

**_He continued but Stiles had to smile a little to himself._ **

~13 days ago~

After a game of cards with Boyd, Derek and Jackson, Peter had asked Stiles if he felt like joining him for some good wine in his quarters. 

Stiles had taken him up on the offer and soon enough he’d been holding a beautiful wine glass while sitting on a very comfortable chaise lounge in the captain’s quarters of a pirate ship.

He’d taken a sip of the excellent wine and pointedly looked at the intricate detail of the design of the glass.

“Tell me, is it usual for merchants to have wine glasses with the house sigil of nobility on it?” he’d asked teasingly and Peter had smirked at him in amusement, as he’d sat down next to Stiles, body angled towards him.

“I don’t know” he’d said “I’m not a merchant.”

Stiles gasped in mock outrage, clutching his chest. “I’ve been lied to!”

He tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t.

Neither could Peter.

They were both looking at each other one moment and laughing the next.

It faded into amused chuckles and then ended in silence, as their eyes met.

The moment spread between them, filling it with tension and making it impossible to look away. They hadn’t talked about the flower so far, but in this tension Stiles felt the weight of what Peter had implied the day before.

Peter placed his glass on the table next to the chaise lounge and then took Stiles’ glass to place it there as well.

“I…” Stiles said hesitantly, not even sure what he wanted to say but Peter gently shook his head.

“Just say yes or no, Stiles. I will not hold it against you either way.”

Stiles felt strangely calm, he knew what he wanted and really there was no reason to refuse himself.

Not here, not with Peter.

This felt right.

“Yes” he almost whispered and Peter gave him a surprisingly soft smile and pulled him into a maddeningly tender kiss.

It didn’t take long for passion to get its hold on them though.

**_They certainly had loved each other deeply and thoroughly. Hopefully those sins covered for themselves._ **

**_The priest kept talking._ **

**_“And Jesus Christ said ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’”_ **

**_Stiles mind wandered back to all the subsequent times he and Peter had ‘become one flesh’. Hiding away in the nearby forest or between the more secluded cliffs. They’d stolen kisses whenever nobody could see them._ **

**_He blinked and tried to keep the tears at bay._ **

**_Those were good memories, but now they were tinged with heartbreak._ **

**_He heard the priest ask if anybody had any legal objections to the marriage and Stiles hoped, wished Peter would burst through the doors and tell them to stop._ **

**_But he didn’t._ **

**_Of course he didn’t._ **

  
  
  


~Two days ago~

Stiles had realized he actually loved Peter only two days before his wedding.

It had felt comically cruel, to realize he loved the pirate, just before he was going to tie himself to his hometown and resign himself to serving in the navy and keeping his head down, quietly seeking the small joy of finding pleasure in the arms of another man now and then.

He’d felt like it probably didn’t even really matter, because to Peter this was probably just a nice fling before he was off to sail the oceans again and make trouble where he saw fit.

On the other hand, Peter had give him the flower…

Stiles decided to try and find out if Peter would be open to the two of them being something more.

  
  


~One day ago~

It was still before noon.

Their plan was to spent all day together.

Their last day.

At least unless they changed their plans.

They were lying underneath a willow, listening to the soft gurgle of a nearby river.

It felt like a good moment back then.

“Whenever I see that flower on Lydia’s table I have to think of you” he said “I have this fantasy of you and me sailing the ocean together, free and happy…”

Peter didn’t respond to that for longer than felt comfortable to Stiles, he was very aware of how fast his heart was beating.

Peter didn’t look at Stiles, but up into the branches of the tree as he spoke. “I think most grooms feel nervous when marriage creeps closer. It’s only natural to flee into fantasies of an easier life. But the truth is, nothing about life is actually easy. And some fantasies can only survive on land.

Affection goes stale quickly when you can’t escape each other for too long and just like that a lover’s passion can turn to loathing…”

Stiles’ hope had died and it’s corpse had fallen heavy like lead into the pit of his stomach. He actually felt a little sick and got up.

He started to put on his clothes, he needed to be somewhere else.

Peter had sat up as well, looking concerned.“Stiles, what’s going on?”

Stiles buckled his pants and pulled on his boots. “I gotta go.”

“But-”

Stiles shook his head and grabbed his vest. “Don’t, Peter. You are right. I think I already can taste it going stale. Let’s just cherish the memories.”

And with that he was gone.

He heard Peter starting to get dresses as well, but Stiles knew this forest a lot better and he knew the pirate had no chance of catching up with him.

  
  


**_Stiles’ hope died once more, as the priest carried on._ **

**_It was time for them to speak their vows._ **

**_They faced each other and Stiles saw that Lydia seemed a little concerned._ **

**_Stiles was supposed to go first, but his throat felt closed up, so she gave the priest a glance and went first._ **

**_“I could never love any man more than I love you, you’ve been my closest friend, my confidant since childhood and I promise to always be by your side, as a friend and as your wife. In health as in sickness, in good times and bad times.”_ **

  
  
  


~One day ago~

Lydia had been petting his head soothingly, while he’d cried into her lap.

She and Allison had been consoling him over his heartbreak for the last hour or so, mostly leaving him to wallowing in his misery and keeping him company.

There wasn’t much else to do, getting your heart broken was painful, and they knew words often rang hollow in that state.

While he’d kept nursing his broken heart they’d shown him the finished dresses for the next day. And while Stiles was happy for them he also couldn’t deny that their happiness also forced him to confront how miserable he was about Peter’s reaction.

Once Stiles had been capable of telling them about what had happened and had been said in its entirety, while he’d been clutching a cup of tea, Lydia had seemed thoughtful.

“Do you think he knows that you reciprocate his feelings?”

Stiles had sniveled and looked out the window. “Well clearly there are no feelings to be reciprocated to begin with.”

He’d looked back at her and caught her rolling her eyes at him.

Before she could say anything though Lydia’s mother came into the room and looked a little confused.

“You all seem strangely somber for the day before your wedding. Shouldn’t you be excitedly preparing for tomorrow?”

Stiles wouldn’t have known what to say but Lydia just gave her mother a look and said “Stiles received word that a friend of his is lost to the sea.”

Her mother paled a little. “I see, my condolences Stiles. Will this interfere with tomorrow?”

Stiles shook his head with a slightly pained smile. “No Mrs. Martin, don’t worry. I’ll be in high spirits tomorrow. How could I not be with a bride like Lydia.”

She smiled hesitantly and then nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”

When her mother had left Lydia returned to the topic at hand. “What if there were feelings to reciprocate though? Would he know that you do reciprocate them? Because from what I’ve heard I feel like his words could also mean that he thinks you’d regret running away with him. Maybe he doesn’t think he’d start to loathe you, but that you’d start to loathe him for taking you with him…”

Stiles had stared at the cup of tea, thinking about what Lydia had said.

She might be right.

He looked out the window again.

It was past noon, but not by much.

Maybe there was still time.

  
  
  


**_His heart was beating loud and fast, as it was once again his turn to say his vow._ **

  
  
  


~One day ago~

He had felt his heartbeat in his ears, as he had been climbing the cliff, but he’d managed to do it this time.

With the flower hidden in the inside of his vest he’d hurried to where the Lobo Tormenta was lying in the harbor.

Boyd had apparently seen him and moved off the ship before Stiles could come on board. He did not look happy to see Stiles.

“The captain’s not here.”

Stiles wasn’t sure if Boyd was lying, but he wasn’t going to fight Boyd to get on board, he just needed to get the flower to Peter.

“Do you know where he is?”

Boyd crossed his arms in front of his chest. “No, and I have looked for him.”

Stiles bit his lower lip.

If Boyd didn’t know where Peter was then Peter didn’t want to be found.

His best bet was probably to leave the flower with Boyd and hope it got to Peter in time.

“Can you give him something for me?”

He pulled out the flower and saw something change in Boyd’s expression.

“Tell him, if he really doesn’t feel the same I want him to come to the wedding, as a friend.”

Boyd took the flower gently and gave Stiles an almost solemn look. “I hope that idiots comes back in time.”

Stiles swallowed hard. “Me too.”

  
  


**_Maybe the flower hadn’t reached Peter in time._ **

**_Or maybe Peter just didn’t care enough to show up._ **

**_Lydia squeezed Stiles’ hands supportive and encouragingly._ **

**_Stiles opened his mouth, trying to recall the words. “I promi-”_ **

**_The doors of the church were pushed open and hit the walls with a loud bang._ **

**_Everyone looked in the direction of the noise and they saw Peter, in disarray, clearly having sprinted all the way up to the church._ **

**_They saw how he made his way along the aisle, to the front, his steps echoing in the shocked silence._ **

**_Scott pull his sword but Allison only needed a few steps to slap it out of his hand and Scott was so surprised by it he let it happen._ **

**_The weapon hit the ground with a loud clanging noise._ **

**_It pulled Stiles out of his shocked trance, but he still couldn’t stop staring at Peter._ **

**_He was there, he was actually here._ **

**_“I didn’t know” Peter said out of breath, sounding almost defeated, pleading. “I thought you were just getting cold feet before the wedding, trying to find a way out of the commitment. I thought you didn’t feel the same. Please...please come with me.”_ **

**_Stiles couldn’t believe what was happening._ **

**_He had hoped, fantasized that Peter would come back for him, but until this very moment he’d not dared to believe it._ **

**_He looked at Lydia, she smiled and squeezed his hand, nothing but love for him in her eyes as she mouthed “Go”._ **

**_Stiles squeezed her hand back and looked at both Lydia and then Allison. “Come with me.” he said, it felt like the most logical solution._ **

**_Allison and Lydia exchanged looks._ **

**_And just like that all four of them started running._ **

**_The last thing Stiles heard from the church was a very confused “What?” from Scott and then noises of dismay as the wedding guests started to catch up to what had just happened._ **

**_But they were already running down the hill and along the town’s main road._ **

**_Allison and Lydia were holding their dresses up and Stiles and Peter were helping them to make sure none of them fell behind._ **

**_The ship came into view and Stiles saw that the crew had already prepared it to leave port._ **

**_They ran on board and immediately Peter yelled commands for them to set sail._ **

**_Stiles, Lydia and Allison looked at each other, grinning like they might be slightly mad._ **

**_Then Lydia grabbed Allison and kissed her just there, on deck of the ship, in the open. And a moment later Stiles felt himself being pulled into an embrace and he smiled as Peter did the same with him._ **

**_Turns out freedom tastes like a hungover pirate._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed it, if you want to make my day, leave a comment on your way out :)


End file.
